New year. New expectations. Same old rivalry.
That's what awaits footy fans this weekend as the Drouin Hawks and Warragul Gulls resume hostilities this Sunday at the Drouin Recreation Reserve.
It's been a big off-season for both clubs, who have seen significant change to not only their line-ups but their coaching staff too.
Drouin have looked externally for their new coach, bringing in the experienced Brent Clinnick to lead their young group back up the ladder.
With a host of off-season recruits, the Hawks will be keen to improve on their two-win season from last year, and this will be as good an opportunity to do it.
The Hawks side boast plenty of new faces, including ex-Bunyip trio Xavier Kinder, Will Papley and Alex McMillan, ruckman Aaron Pawel and young key forward Hugo Birks.
One of Drouin's consistent issues last season was a lack of height around the field, so expect some of those recruits to help fill those gaps.
What remains to be seen, of course, is how the Hawks will play their first competitive match under Clinnick.
Clinnick has been a senior assistant for the last few years at the dominant Phillip Island side in the West Gippsland competition, so he'll have plenty of knowledge around what to takes to build a culture of sustained success.
He's already talked about how important this year will be for getting players to buy in, so all eyes will be on how strongly the Hawks come out in round one. After last year, there's no doubt the players will have plenty to prove.
Warragul, meanwhile, have looked internally for their new leadership.
Ex-AFL player and last year's league leading goalkicker Jed Lamb takes the reins for his first coaching gig, with the club hoping he can bring a steady, experienced hand to the Gulls.
Warragul were able to challenge sides at times last year, but were unable to sustain it for long enough in most games. They finished the year with four and a half wins, which internally was considered somewhat below expectations.
Lamb's ex-GWS and Carlton teammate Liam Sumner joins the team, helping to offset the loss of the retired Nick Graham.
Corbin Sutherland and Bayley Paul will provide the side with new spark, while the respective returns of Tom Hobbs and Cooper Alger will certainly boost morale.
Like Drouin, just how Warragul plays remains a mystery, but assistant coach Sean Masterson has heaped praise on Lamb's coaching style, saying that the side has been working on things well beyond most country footy sides over the break.
For this game though, the focus may not necessarily be on Lamb's coaching, but instead his playing.
The Hawks will remember the last Western Derby all too well, where Lamb booted 10 of his team's 14 goals to lead them to a rousing victory.
The Gulls were often reliant on Lamb to keep the scoreboard ticking over in 2022, so no doubt Drouin will be plotting ways to keep him quiet.
In many ways this may be a difficult game to predict, given just how different both sides look on and off the field, but undoubtedly fans will be excited to see what changes have come about.
Wins weren't easy to come by for these two teams, so this is a golden opportunity for one of them to make a statement early and get off to the best possible start.
And no matter how the match turns out, no matter how both sides are travelling, you can be always sure whenever there's a Western Derby there's always plenty to play for.